Yulon Group Strategically Teams Up With Chinese Li-ion Battery Maker BAK
2011/09/16 | By Quincy LiangTaipei, Sept. 16, 2011 (CENS)--Hua-chuang Automobile Information Technical Center Co. Ltd. (HAITEC), the R&D arm of Taiwan's carmaker Yulon Group, recently signed a strategic-alliance agreement with China BAK Battery Inc., a manufacturer of lithium-based battery in China, to engage in electric vehicle (EV) development.
HAITEC, established with the support of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Taiwan, is committed to provide a platform to promote sustainable development of the automotive industry. Via international collaborations, HAITEC has successfully developed a 180kW (240hp) electric drive-train that is adaptable to vehicles ranging from 1.2 to 18 tons, including sedans, multi-purpose vans (MPVs), sport-utility vehicles (SUVs), and small to medium-sized buses. Currently, Yulon Group still adopts the 18650-format cylindrical three-element (LiCoxNiyMnzO) cells in its EV battery packs.
C.C. Lee, vice president of HAITEC, says the company plans to jointly develop more advanced formula and production process for the 18650 tri-element cells.
In June, BAK's Shenzhen facility supplied cylindrical battery cells to HAITEC to power Dongfeng-Yulon's pure EVs delivered to the public transit authority of the city of Hangzhou, China. Under the new strategic cooperation program, BAK and HAITEC will focus on developing EV battery packs and high-capacity batteries. The battery cells manufactured for HAITEC under this program, a result of two years' research and development by BAK's Canadian technical team, are cylindrical battery cells produced at BAK's Shenzhen facility. Dongfeng Yulon is a joint venture between Yulon and China's No. 3 automaker Dongfeng (Nissan) to locally produce, sell Yulon-developed Luxgens in China.
BAK is a Nasdaq-listed company specializing in producing lithium-ion batteries for 3C (computer, communication, and consumer electronics) products, currently operating two cell factories, including one in Shenzhen and another in Tianjin of China.